It is important for commercial establishments that sell beverages, for example hot tea, coffee, hot chocolate, iced tea, beer or any other type of beverage, that the beverage being served to a customer is fresh. This helps ensure that the beverage is of sufficient quality and taste to please the consuming customer, so that the customer will return to that commercial establishment to purchase a beverage again. Some commercial establishments place specific time requirements on how long a beverage can sit after initial preparation and still be considered fresh. In some commercial establishments, once a beverage is no longer considered fresh, it is disposed of, and a fresh batch of the beverage is prepared.
It can be difficult for these commercial establishments to monitor the length of time that has passed since the initial preparation of the beverage. A particular example is coffee. Once brewed, coffee is typically stored in open topped carafes, which are placed on a hot plate to maintain the coffee at an acceptable temperature. Over time, coffee will become stale and its taste will change.
One example method to monitor the time since initial preparation is to have a user, such as an employee, note the time indicated on a clock when the initial preparation is completed. The user could, for example write the time down on a specified piece of paper, or simply mentally remember the noted time. Problems with this technique include the user forgetting to note the time of initial preparation of the beverage, or if a plurality of carafes is used to store the beverage, forgetting what noted time is applicable to what carafe.
Other techniques include placing a timing device, for example a stopwatch, on a carafe, or a plurality of carafes containing a beverage to be monitored for freshness. Problems with this technique include the timing device falling off the carafe, being damaged when the carafe is used to serve the beverage, or mixing up which timing device is matched with which carafe.
It can be difficult for the franchiser or the management of a company to monitor that the operator of a store is respecting the beverage freshness standards set out by the franchiser or the company. This can lead to the franchiser or company having difficulty maintaining uniform quality standards for freshness of beverages in its commercial establishments. Maintaining uniform standards of freshness for a beverage can be integral to the commercial success of a business.